Dog hangs around Stafford Station

Dog hangs around Stafford Station for so long Virgin Trains give him a uniform

A rescue dog called Jake has been hanging around Stafford Station for so long that Virgin Trains have given him his very own uniform. Jake is something of an old-timer, at 14-years-old he likes nothing better than to watch the trains go by in the West Midlands station.
Dog hangs around Stafford Station for so long Virgin Trains give him a uniform.

He is a Collie-German Shepherd cross who was rescued from City Dogs Home in Stoke-on-Trent when he was just two. He was mistreated and abandoned by his previous owner, but now he’s affectionately known locally as the ‘trainspotting dog’. His owner, Neil McNamara, brings Jake to the station every day where he barks and wags his tail in excitement. He has become something of an expert and can even sense trains before they arrive on the platform. While out trainspotting, Neil has noticed Jake seems to have a particular fondness for Virgin trains.

So, when Virgin Trains launched their new uniform, they created a special version for Jake.

And as you can see from the above image, he’s pretty pumped about the whole thing. Neil said: ‘Jake’s always had a love and fascination for Virgin’s trains, he doesn’t bark for any other! His daily trip to the station is a real highlight for him. ‘Over nine years he’s become a mascot for the regular passengers and we’re excited for him to show off his special uniform.’

The new Virgin Trains uniform was created by HemingwayDesign. The human version features up to 10 combinations so that staff can show a little bit of their own individuality. But Jake’s uniform is a special one-off just for him. The old Virgin Train uniforms will be recycled at HMP Northumberland, where ex-offenders will utilise facilities in the on-site textiles factory to create blankets and coats to be donated to homeless charity The Albert Kennedy Trust, which works with LGBTQ individuals in crisis and Rethinks Mental Illness.